Over 150 cars broken into in weeks, NC cops say. Now 19-year-old, two minors charged
After a string of vehicle break-ins during December and January, police in a North Carolina city have made arrests.
A 19-year-old was arrested and charged with crimes connected to a “city-wide vehicle break-in surge,” according to a March 20 Asheville Police Department news release. The department also filed petitions for more than 200 charges against two minors who police say were also involved in the damages.
More than 100 cars were damaged primarily by someone smashing their windows, but not taking anything inside, on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10, according to the department’s Dec. 14 news release. Then, 61 more damaged vehicles were reported from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, police said.
The department warned residents to report “suspicious activity or unfamiliar vehicles outside their homes or businesses” as they worked to identify suspects.
The 19-year-old was arrested March 12, a few months after the break-in spree, according to Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office jail records.
He was charged with 29 counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, 29 counts of injury to personal property, two counts of larceny, two counts of felony larceny, conspiracy and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the news release.
His bond was set at $260,000 and his court appearance is scheduled for April 4, according to jail records.
The department did not provide information identifying the two minors who were arrested.
